Presenter
Dr. Michael Young, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist
Bureau of Economic Geology
The University of Texas at Austin
Description
Understanding landscape impacts from the development of fossil and renewable energy sources is essential to land use decisions and management. This presentation focuses on current and potential future landscape alteration stemming from oil and gas, wind and solar installations, including recent observations and estimates of land needed in west Texas over the next ~30 years to accommodate estimates of new facilities. The field site focuses on the Permian Basin of West Texas, an area of significant interest for energy production. The research findings will be placed into the context of the broader discussions of the energy transition, in Texas and elsewhere, and how new and ongoing research at the Bureau will help to understand and quantify the broader life-cycle impacts of a broader mix of energy systems.
